April 15, 1912, what great tragedy occurred in icy Atlantic waters off Newfoundland, taking 1500 lives?

The date of April 15, 1912, marks one of the most infamous maritime disasters in history: the sinking of the RMS Titanic. This luxury British passenger liner, on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean. The collision occurred late on April 14, and the ship fully submerged in the early hours of April 15, approximately 350 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland.

The Titanic, often described by its builders as "practically unsinkable," was the largest ship afloat at the time. Despite its advanced design, the glancing blow from the iceberg caused extensive damage to the starboard side, compromising at least five of its sixteen watertight compartments. The ship was designed to stay afloat with up to four compartments flooded, but the damage exceeded this capacity.

Tragically, the Titanic carried only enough lifeboats for about a third of its total capacity of around 3,300 people, due to outdated maritime safety regulations. Of the approximately 2,200 passengers and crew on board, between 1,490 and 1,635 lives were lost in the freezing waters. The disaster led to significant reforms in maritime safety, including the establishment of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).